Rizzo On Roster Moves

The transcription from a chat with acting GM Mike Rizzo.

Q: What did you like about Beimel to bring him in?

Well, Joe is a consummate professional. He's good against left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters. He really gives us balance and experience in the bullpen. He pitched extremely well the last three or four years with the Dodgers, and with the Pirates. He was a guy that our scouts really liked -- his aggressiveness on the mound. He holds runners great. He fields his position well.

Q: It seemed like there were a dozen clubs speaking to him. Is that why this took so long?

I'm not sure how many clubs were after him. We made a point to target him as the guy we thought would fit best for us and impact us the best. He did have a lot of interest out there because of his track record, but I can't speak for the other clubs. We really targeted the guy.

Q: When you were looking at all the relievers on the market, was finding a lefty one of the biggest considerations?

I don't think we went into it looking lefty or righty. We wanted the best possible reliever that gives us the best chance to fulfill the spot in the bullpen. Like I said, he's not a lefty specialist by any means. He's a guy that gets lefties, righties out equally well and can pitch a lot for us.

Q: What was the reason behind Shawn Hill getting released?

Well, Shawn Hill, the main reason behind Shawn being released was just the uncertainty that his track record brings to the clubhouse every day. It's hard to pencil him into the rotation every fifth day when you're not sure what you've got when he gets to the ballpark.

Q: Even though he had that setback in the first start, after the start in Jupiter, was there any thought that some of the injury problems might be behind him?

Well, you can only go by what you know and the track record of the player. We thought the uncertainty of what he's going to bring to us on a daily basis was really the factor behind us releasing him. He's healthy for now, yes, but we don't know how long that is going to be for. And that affects how we plan not only for this season but for the future also.

Q: He's had this uncertainty now for a while, you could even say years. So why make this decision now?

Well, because we're two weeks from Opening Day, and it's a good time to really get our ducks in a row and see how we're going to open the season and what players are going to be with us heading north and what players are going to be with us throughout not only this year but for the long term.

Q: How difficult of a decision was this to make?

It's a tough decision. He's one of the family. He's been here for a long, long time. He's a great guy. It's a tough part of the job for sure.

Q: How convinced are you that what you have with the young guys, that you've got five major league starters out of that, and is there any thought to looking elsewhere before Opening Day?

Well, like I've said before, we're always going to be looking. We never stop looking. We never stop trying to get the best 25 we can get -- at all times. But I think we have candidates in-house that can handle the five rotation spots. I think we have some inventory down in the minor leagues that we can use when we need it, and I'm comfortable with our young starters.

Q: With Hill, on Monday, did he look like a healthy pitcher?

He looked like he was throwing free and easy, yes. He looked like he was healthy. But again, healthy after this time, yes. But with the track record, we just didn't know when and how long we could count on him being healthy, so that's how the decision was made.

Q: Were the Beimel signing and the Hill release related?

Totally coincidental. We've been working on Beimel for a long time. It just happened to be today where we agreed to terms.